CF Games Open WOD 11.5...set a pace

I will start off by saying this: Rob, you are a beast! Rob was able to get 300 reps for this WOD--and he had to transition from outside the box and back inside, just to do the WOD as Rx'd. Me, on the other hand, had the advantage of being able to complete all three movements within a compact area. I was reached my goal of 10 rounds, with two reps to boot (302 total).

After watching some videos, gleaning some strategies from some of my CrossFit buddies, and formulating a plan in my head, I decided to set a goal of 10 rounds. I had planned to keep each round between 1:30 and 2:00. The power cleans were going to be unbroken, the toes-to-bar to be in sets of five, and the wall-ball shots to be unbroken. I was able to keep this plan (and pace) until about the sixth round. After that, the wall-ball shots became one set of 10 and one set of five. If it wasn't for my wife screaming at me and encouraging me, I do not believe that I would have reached my goal.

After the fifth week, I was sitting at 126th in my region. I got off to a slow start, but since 11.3, I have been making up some ground--probably not enough to make it to the Regionals, but I've definitely been having fun!

Rob, my friend, KILL this last one. And all I've gotta say is: good luck in California, because I know you will be there!

CF Games WOD 11.5

Let's cut the chase and get to the point. ;-P
This week's adventure was a 20min AMRAP of:
5 power cleans @65kg/145#
10 Toes 2 Bar (T2B)
15 Wallball

I have recently used the words nasty, disgusting, hard and sneaky to describe the past WOD's completed. I'll just have to admit this one left me floored for a while. When 11.5 came out I thought I'd make a run through it to see how it felt. After about 10 minutes, I was ready for the wod to be over. Thank goodness someone came in to be trained. I did not feel bad about cutting it short.

Attempt #2 was Friday morning. Having already realized that this was going to be taxing enough, I wanted to make sure I got through this feast while I was rested properly. After some coffee, water and warming up it was time to go.
As Brian knows our cealing isn't high enough for the wallballs. Therefore, we have a station setup outside our box for the wallballs. I am not sure if this made too much of a difference in the amount of reps accomplished. I will say that it kept me constantly moving.

My score: 10 rounds flat for 300 points. I am still not satisfied.

I want to thank my wife Susi for judging me and sticking it to me when a rep didn't count. She is one of the most honest people I know.

For me, it's a big deal to know that I am doing the work properly and not half ass. It would be cool to go to LA. However, I don't want to get there on a false pretense.

Thanks SUSI!

Thanks CF Games WOD Planner's for kicking my butt again!

@Brian Kick some a$$ Brother!

CF Games WOD 11.4 - Burpees?

The WOD:
10min AMRAP of:
60 x Bar-Facing Burpees
30 x Overhead Squats with 55kg/120#
10 x Muscle Ups

My thought towards this particular wod, NASTY! Man was this going to weed out the ranks. The Burpees are going to get rid of all the wild kipping going on, making the muscle ups hard for those that cannot do normal ones without a gymnastic kip. The over head squats were going to be tough. After all those Burpess, how heavy is a 55kg bar going to be? Think about the stability here. For me, myself and I, this was going to be interesting. I did a trial run Thursday morning to see how I should pace myself for the real deal. In this attempt I finished with just one mu to let myself know the mu's can be done after all the Burpees and OHS. Mentally speaking, I was set for this one.

When the sun is out in Germany, what does one do on a Saturday afternoon?
Go get some Coffee and Cake! No, just kidding (a little) The Open Games WOD or our challenge of course!

This time around I completely warmed myself up. Every rep counts right? Went and did several sets of OHS to make sure the kinks were out and finished up with some toes to bars. One thing is clear. MU's and I don't always agree with each other. My game plan was to stick with safe, clean and efficient work through the whole deal. Sticking to this game plan was the key for me. Being efficient will help you move faster. Therefore, I made it clear that I would do single MU's to keep me from hurting myself or getting a missed rep. My shoulders are not always forgiving to me.
This time around I finished with 60 burpees, 30 ohs and 7 mu's. Not bad for me I guess.

Congratulations to anyone that attempted this wod! Respect!

CF Games Open WOD 11.4...yay, burpees!

When the CrossFit Open WOD 11.4 hit the streets last Tuesday evening, I became excited. While not all three movements were necessarily among my greatest strengths, they were not among my most dreaded weaknesses either. The bottom line: I could stay efficient with each movement.

Burpees are burpees--whether they're bar-facing, hand-clapping overhead, or whatever. Burpees will forever remain a CrossFitter's bane. The overhead squats, at 120lbs, seemed reasonable. And the muscle-ups? I can do muscle-ups. Put them all together in a nice little 10-minute AMRAP, and you've got one nasty little WOD.

I did a "one-round test run" before I actually attempted the WOD. I did not go all out--I just maintained an even pace. I ended up completing one full round (100 reps) in 9:17. I then proceeded to set my goal for 120 reps, and planned to knock it out on Saturday afternoon. I always feel, that when setting a goal, it should be very challenging to reach, yet not unreasonable. I feel that I hit the mark on this goal: I completed one full round plus 15 bar-facing burpees (115 reps). Just like 11.3, I had to video tape this one and send it up to HQ (and the world) to judge. Here it is:

Game WOD #3

As Brian mentioned in his thoughts to CF/G/WOD 11.3 the weights did get heavier. I really believed that it was time though. The first 2 wods were great with lighter weights. If the weight is easy, go fast right? This wod was heavy enough to get rid of any excuses about competing. No "if's", no "and's" or "but's". If it was heavy for some, then technique is going to be an issue. (Think: Coach Mike Burgener) If the weight was light for other's then how fast can you push yourself for 5 minutes. (Think something like Fran without the pull ups)

All in all, what fantastic and easy wod to judge. A 5 minute AMRAP of: Squat Clean and Jerk using 165# or 75kg. Some of the footage out there shows some amazing work being done! Respect to all those Monster's and Ladies giving it their all out there!

For me, the 5 minutes went by FAST! My goal was just to get it done with the least amount of missed reps as possible. I didn't have one particular strategy. I did know that if I started using the thruster after the squat clean, things would be getting heavy soon. Therefore, I just stuck with doing squat cleans and jerk. The jerks turned out to be push presses somewhere down the line. The last reps turned into squat clean thrusters. During the last minute, I misunderstood my judge thinking I had 20 reps already. So I thought if I used the thruster I would be faster. Sadly enough, I finished with only 23 + 1 squat clean reps. With 2 reps taken away for not being locked out.

All in all, I should be happy. I might be happy, but then again, I am not satisfied. Things to be worked on. I do notice that the warm up last mentioned is tuning me in. Btw, I added toes 2 bar. I believe the Rob's warm up is complete.

Congrats to all that did what they could to get to the next wod!
Way to bust it Brian!

CF Games Open WOD 11.3...Getting Heavier

Many CrossFitters had been wondering when the CrossFit Games Open was going to get heavy. 165 pounds may have not seemed that heavy to most; or, maybe, it seemed ridiculously heavy to some. The bottom line: yes, the weight got heavier...especially taking into consideration the fact that the workout was only five, short (or long, depending on your perspective) minutes long. Complete as many rounds as possible in five minutes of: 165 pound clean and jerk (or ground-to-overhead). That was it. Was there a strategy behind this workout, or was it just "go as fast as you possibly can".  As all WODs go, the strategy was arguable.

For me, this workout was based on strategy. I "tested" the first two workouts--I did a portion of them, just to get a feel of how I wanted to attack them. Then, when I felt that I was ready, I tackled them head on.  I did not have that luxury for 11.3. Kari and I were going to be out of town in Atlanta for the weekend, cheering on the Phillies (they won two games out of the three-game series!). Because of this, I had one shot at the WOD. And, for the first time,  I had to video tape my performance and submit it to HQ (and the world) to judge. My goal was 30 rounds (60 reps). I achieved 25 rounds (50 reps). Of course, there is always going to be a bit of disappointment when a goal is not reached; however, I am proud that I stuck to my strategy, and (efficiently) accomplished as much work as I possibly could in five minutes.

Below, you will find the video that I submitted to HQ:

Brob's Challenge: CF Games WOD #2

Hold The Standard

The CF Games have been so far showing me where my flaws are and what I need to be doing. I can't and will not be satisfied.
At the end of the second wod I was 7th place overall in the masters 45-49 age group. 301pts for wod #1 (23rd) and 386pts (10th) for wod #2.

Games WOD #2 was a 15min AMRAP of:
70kg Deadlifts x 9
push ups x 12 (hands lifted off the floor at the bottom.)
box jumps x 15
The dl's were light enough. However, I knew that the combination dl's, b-jumps and push ups were going to be a suck-it-up party. Whoever can push themselves to the extreme without any type of self-preservation here is going to do well. The box jumps just tired me out. No if's and butt's about it.

This wod made me think hard about what I have been doing the last 12 months. As I see it, I haven't followed the warm up which is best for me. Other then that, the programming I have been following for myself has been excellent. (CFJAX) Why because I don't have to guess about what I should do. It has pretty much kept it all constantly varied and has me working on my weaknesses.
As of this week my warm up is back to 3 rounds of:
samson stretch each leg x 30 seconds
15 ohs
15 push ups
15 sit ups
15 box jumps
15 du
15 pull ups (strict)
15 ring dips
This might be a lot to some. For others probably not much at all. After that, I go through the Burgener Warm Up. Then I am ready to go.

This weeks wod #3 is 5 min of Squat Clean to Overhead. Up until now, how well I place or rank didn't mean crap to me. This week is a different story. I want more..... to be con't

CF Games Open WOD 11.2...Work Capacity Tested

The CrossFit Games Open WOD 11.2 was a true test of accomplishing work...and fast! The weight was light and the rep scheme was set up so there was virtually no excuse, other than your own, to stop moving. It was a test of overall capacity, heart, grit, and gut.

At the end of the second week of the Open, I am sitting at 231st place out of 1,063 in my region. While I am not entirely satisfied (who ever really is) with my current place, I must keep in mind that there are still four weeks left. I have no great vision of making it to the Games in California in July. However, the Open has given me back my competitive drive and thirst for getting better. Before the Open, I was still doing the 3-on-1-off main site WODs; however, I have now reevaluated my weakness, and made a conscious decision to start working on them with more fervor and dedication.

Check out the last minute of me pushing through 11.2--I love hearing my wife scream at me. To be honest, that is the only thing that I heard throughout that entire, miserable [lovely] 15 minutes. Thanks babe!